Götze and Martinez injury boost for Bayern

Mario Götze is nearing a return to fitness for FC Bayern following his ankle injury...

...while Javi Martinez is also progressing well following a groin complaint

Thiago Alcantara must continue to wear protective footwear on his injured ankle but has begun strength training again

And Holger Badstuber will return to Munich shortly for surgery on his injured knee

Munich - Defending Bundesliga champions FC Bayern München have received a boost on the injury front with the news that key midfielders Mario Götze and Javi Martinez are on their way back to fitness.

Additionally, Thiago Alcantara and youngster Pierre Hojbjerg are also making good progress, while absentee Holger Badstuber is preparing for the next stage of his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury.

Martinez: “Getting better”

Götze has not played for the club since the UEFA Super Cup victory over Chelsea FC on 30 August, causing him to miss the start of the Red’s defence of their UEFA Champions League title. However, the 21-year-old's rehabilitation is going well, he is training with a ball again and is expected to return to team training in the next few days.

Martinez is also hopeful of a swift return to first-team action. The Spanish international recently underwent surgery on a troublesome groin injury but has begun running again. “It’s getting better day by day. I hope to be able to help the team again soon,” he told fcbayern.de. He will not be able to train on Thursday or Friday this week due to a tooth operation.

Thiago in the gym

His compatriot Thiago must continue to wear special footwear for the next three weeks after surgery on torn ankle ligaments, but he has returned to training in the gym at the club’s Säbener Straße training ground. Hojbjerg suffered a similar injury playing for the club’s reserve side seven weeks ago, but has begun individually training with a ball again.

Meanwhile, Badstuber is preparing for the next stage on his comeback to fitness. The 24-year-old has been recuperating in the United States after surgery following two serious knee injuries and is due to return to Munich in the last week of September for the final operation.